Ana de la Vega to appear at Wigmore Hall

Trio from London International Players
Lisa Peacock Presents Thursday Lunchtime Showcases

Three renowned soloists combine to perform a scintillating programme of works for this rarely heard combination.

Wigmore Hall, 24th November 13:00
 
ANA DE LA VEGA – DANIEL RÖHN – IRINA BOTAN
             flute                     violin                   piano

Bach’s stunning Musical Offering is complimented by the greatest of flute sonatas – the Poulenc Sonata. An awaited UK premier of an arrangement of Debussy’s L’Apres-midi d’un faune is followed by fireworks by Brahms and from Bizet’s evergreen ‘Carmen’.

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Ana de la Vega, flute

 J.S. Bach Trio Sonata in C Major BWV 1037 for flute, violin & piano 

  1. Poulenc Sonatafor flute and piano
  2. Debussy Prélude a l’apres-midi d’un faune for flute, violin & piano (arr. Jascha Heifetz) UK premiere
  3. Brahms Scherzo from F.A.E. Sonata  
  4. Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 17 (arr. Fritz Kreisler)  
  5. Bizet  Carmen Fantasyfor flute, violin & piano (arr. Röhn) UK premier

Book Now

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Ana de la Vega, flute                                                         Daniel Roehn, violin

As a proud Australian, Ana is the artistic director of the London International Players who have just had a rave review in The STRAD, and her solo career has seen her on many of Europe’s most prestigious stages!

Ana de la Vega, Biography

gv2b4881Few flautists of her generation have performed so extensively worldwide as soloist and chamber musician. Ana de la Vega’s recent Wigmore Hall debut was reviewed as ‘Outstanding’ (Classical Source), her Cadogan Hall London performance as ‘true artistry’ (Musical Opinion), and her Berlin Philharmonie debut as ‘first-class’.

Ana was student of the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris where studied for her Premier Prix under Catherine Cantin, as well as with Philippe Pierlot and Raymond Guiot. At the age of 23 she won the position of Principal Flute with the Orquestra Sinfonica do Norte in Portugal. Since then she has held Principal Flute positions with the EPK Europa Philharmonie in Baden-Württemberg in Germany, and the Philharmonie der Nationen in Hamburg.

Ana is founder and artistic director of the London International Players, a dynamic London ensemble which brings together the finest musicians of her generation. On the wings of her dynamism they have already in their first season performed in Europes greatest halls to high regard, making headlines in the UK and abroad with their ‘explosive and ‘dazzling’ performances (World Of Classical Music, Wigmore Hall review).

With tremendous élan and vitality, de le Vega revealed her artistry…

Musical Opinion, London

Ana de la Vega
www.anadelavega.com
London +447944642991
Berlin +491724651909

London International Players
Artistic Director
www.londoninternationalplayers.com

Behind The Ring: Part One – Das Rheingold — Rehearsal Magazine

Terrific piece by @Geldridg_ written for @rehearsalmag about the @OperaAustralia #RingCycle

Source: Behind The Ring: Part One – Das Rheingold —Re:hearsal Magazine ©

Heading backstage at Opera Australia’s epic Ring Cycle.

In the month leading up to opening night of Opera Australia’s epic Neil Armfield production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, assistant director Greg Eldridge is taking Rehearsal Magazine readers behind the scenes. 12 months before rehearsals. It’s the email with the subject line that every jobbing director loves to see: “Enquiry for future season”.

GREG IN REHEARSAL AT THE ROYAL OPERA. PHOTO: SIGNE RODERIK, ROH

I’d met with Lyndon Terracini (Artistic Director of Opera Australia) while he was on one of his frequent trips to London and we’d talked in the bar of his hotel about the possibility of me returning to work in Australia after my time as Jette Parker Associate Director at the Royal Opera. It had been 5 years since I’d uprooted and moved to London, and I was keen to find a means to come back home for a time.So, from that meeting in February 2015, here it was in October and I’d finally received an email from Joanne Goodman (then Senior Artist Manager) to ask me to hold dates.

I was in the middle of stage rehearsals for my production of The Lighthouse at the Royal Opera, so there was a lot going on, but there’s a secret joy that never diminishes whenever an offer of work comes in (Public Service Announcement – spread happiness today by making me an offer of work!).The offer is to assist Neil Armfield (original director) on the revival of his 2013 production of Der Ring des Nibelungen (better known as The Ring Cycle). My main responsibilities are to be the third and fourth operas in the cycle – Siegfried and Götterdämmerung (each in excess of 5 hours) – as well as working on parts of Die Walküre. I had worked on a Ring Cycle a few years previously, assisting Alan Privett in the Longborough Ring conducted by Anthony Negus, and had found it one of the most intense and amazing experiences in my career. The Ring is the biggest undertaking in opera, and it requires a lot of rehearsal time to get through all the studio, stage-piano and stage-orchestra rehearsals and so the company was asking for me to be in Australia from the end of August 2016 until the end of November – all up 14 weeks.  The opportunity to return home for a decent amount of time and to work with the company I’d grown up watching are very strong pull factors, but it is a long time to give up being in amongst the theatres in London.

DVD STILL

As always with big projects, there is a bit of an existential crisis – would I be forgotten if I left my adopted home in the UK for 3 months? I’m just about to direct my fourth production at the ROH, is it the right career move to return home as an assistant or would I be better served to stay in Europe directing in my own right? Then again, how many opportunities would I have to return home, especially to work on one of the greatest projects in the operatic world? I asked my colleagues at the Royal Opera what they thought would be best. I asked my friends and family in the UK and Australia what they thought. I weighed up the financial consequences, the emotional arguments, the logistical implications.

I said yes.

9 months before rehearsals

My Christmas present from Opera Australia arrived in a nondescript brown box. It was delivered to the Staff Directors office at Covent Garden, where my desk is already overflowing with documents relating to Jonathan Kent’s Tosca which is being rehearsed over the Christmas break. Inside are all the things that make a director’s heart leap (apart from stationery – sticky tabs and highlighters make everything great).

DIE WALKÜRE ACT II

As is my usual practice I’ve asked for blank scores for each opera, copies of the archive recordings that are made of every production and the stage management and staff director notes from the 2013 productions. Although the exact duties expected of directors in revivals varies from show to show, the broad principals are the same – it’s our job when we’re leading the room to recreate the spirit of the production as it was when first presented, using the original staging as a starting point. This requires an intimate knowledge not just of the opera itself but also the intricacies and details of the original show. Directors’ scores are a little different from a singer’s vocal score. In addition to the vocal lines and text, our single-sided scores need to carry at a glance the detail of the movement, thought-progressions and technical information required to present a complete picture of the role. It’s not enough for us to merely say ‘and then you exit stage-left’; we have to know that the singer ‘exits stage-left, but has to be careful because of the scenery change being prepared in the wings, then has three minutes to swap over wig and costume and will then re-enter on the other side of the stage in a different emotional state as during their time off-stage their character has learned important new information’.

The rule of thumb for directors’ scores is that the information should be clear, legible, and able to be picked up by the next person who revives the show without needing any further explanation. To that end, I take great care with my scores. Characters’ vocal lines are highlighted to enable sections to be easily identified, literal translations are written above the text in the event that the next person isn’t fluent in the original language (and, let’s face it, Wagner’s poetry is written in language archaic enough to confuse even native speakers!). There is also technical information (lighting cues, revolve speeds and indications of when bits of scenery are flying in and out), as well as quotes from the original director to help in the interpretation of parts of the text. Finally, there are coloured tabs to indicate entries, exits, new scenes and important technical effects (watch out for the fire!).

It takes a lot of time to prepare scores fully – the last time I did a Ring Cycle it took over 100 hours to have everything written in and ready for rehearsals; I’ll be spending time working on my scores around other projects over the next 9 months to make sure everything is in place.

1 month before rehearsals

I’m just about to board a plane for Australia! It’s been a whirlwind couple of months leading up to this moment – I’ve just returned from Italy directing a new production of L’incoronazione di Poppea, having travelled there hours after the last performance of a new Il trovatore at the Royal Opera, which had occupied the last few weeks. I had enough time to come back to London and pack before (finally!) leaving the grey British skies for the promise of an Australian summer.

In between these other productions, I haven’t neglected my Ring Cycle preparation; I’ve been coaching with music staff at Covent Garden on each of the operas I’m working on in order to get under the musical skin of the piece. I’ve also been going through line-by-line, word-by-word with Dominik Dengler the chief German Language Coach in London and a veteran of several Ring Cycles. The result has been lots of notes, many discovered nuances and a greater understanding of the narrative of the cycle.

I’ve also been paying close attention to the DVD recordings of the first production from 3 years ago. Every major opera house makes these kinds of recordings, usually from a single fixed-point camera located at the back of the auditorium, which are used to document the staging of each show. Although these recordings are quite good at giving a wide view of the whole stage, they are not high in definition and so when there are lots of people on stage it can sometimes be a case of following the ‘white blur’ as they move about the stage in amongst the other blurs. It’s also a really useful way to see which of the original staging ideas survived the transition from the rehearsal studio to the stage. Often assistant directors are run off their feet during the stage rehearsal process and so these recordings can help bridge the gap between what has been written down in the book and what ends up taking place in performance.

Never one to miss the chance to do a show, once I arrive in Melbourne, I’ll spend 2 weeks directing a new production of Trouble in Tahiti before heading to Sydney to go into lock-down ahead of the start of Ring rehearsals. The last 12 months have been a lot of time spent by myself with the technical diagrams, video recordings and hundreds and hundreds of pages of music. The next step will be to meet the team I’ll be spending the next three months with and to begin the process of actually getting the action from the page onto the floor.

Source: Behind The Ring: Part One – Das Rheingold —Re:hearsal Magazine ©

Jayson Gillham shows why he has the world at his fingertips | News Local

Lovely article from the Daily Telegraph about Tait Awardee, Jayson Gillham, and a stunning review for his City Recital Hall concert in Sydney on the 24th October. His tour now continues to Adelaide with the Adelaide Symphony and then ends with a sold-out recital at the Melbourne Recital Centre.

CHILDHOOD piano lessons for brilliant young virtuoso Jayson Gillham’s meant a 500km round car trip with his mum from his home in Dalby, Queensland. All those miles and effort paid off when, at the age of 17, he reached the semi-finals of the gruelling Sydney International Piano Competition. A scholarship and move to London, where he is now based, added further polish and eventually led to a Masters degree at the Royal Academy of Music. Now he is back on home ground after a much-acclaimed Sydney Symphony debut earlier this month performing Beethoven’s Piano concerto No. 4 with piano great Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting. And, as part of that triumphal tour, Gillham played a program of Bach, Handel, Beethoven and Schumann in the latest of the SSO’s International Pianists In Recital series. He opened with what he describes as a “here I am” piece in Bach’s Toccata and fugue in C minor BWV 911, which incidentally opens his newly-released debut recording for ABC Classics. 

DAZZLING 

The work, with its deft interplay between left and right hand, showed off Gillham’s grace and elegance, as well as a dazzling and smoothly-controlled technique. His articulation and accuracy in both hands, complemented by astute use of the sustain pedal, meant that all the “voices” of the double fugue came through with crystal clarity. The prodigious variations in Handel’s Chaconne in G indulged Gillham’s flashier side, albeit seasoned with great taste, sensitivity and judgment. This was a reading carved not of granite, but more one of polished marble Beethoven considered Handel the greatest composer of them all so the eight-minute set of variations made an apt curtain-raiser to the final piece of the first half, the Waldstein sonata. Here the 30-year-old soloist forsook blood and guts for a more refined approach to Beethoven and at times the rondo finale was a little rushed. 

This was a reading carved not of granite, but more one of polished marble. 

Jayson Gillham performs Chopin. 
The second half was all Romance with Schumann’s lengthy piano workout, the Etudes symphoniques, which complete with the five posthumous variations clocks in at 37 minutes. This listener would have preferred the Schubert sonata Gillham performs on his new CD! As if this set of 12 variations wasn’t enough to convince the audience of Gillham’s prowess, the encores were. Liszt’s Paraphrase on Verdi’s Rigoletto quartet is a favourite showstopper, but Gillham had more. The evening started with and ended with Bach, albeit Rachmaninoff’s spectacular transcription of the violin partita No.3. If, like Bach, Gillham wanted to announce “Here I am!”, we all certainly got the message loud and clear.

DETAILS

Steve Moffatt, NewsLocalOctober 25, 2016 8:07am

October 25, 2016 8:07am

●CONCERT: Jayson Gillham in recital

●WHERE: City Recital Hall Angel Place

●WHEN: Monday, October 24

Source: Jayson Gillham shows why he has the world at his fingertips | News Local

Herald Sun Aria winner Panayiota Kalatzis sweeps all before her | Herald Sun

We are thrilled to report that Tait Awardee, Panayiota Kalatzis, won the coveted 2016 Herald Sun Aria in Melbourne’s, Hamer Hall a few days ago. Panayiota was the 2014 recipient of the Australian International Opera Awards which gave her the funds to study at the Wales International Academy of Voice with Dennis O’Neill.

Herald Sun Aria winner Panayiota Kalatzis. Photo: Stuart Walmsley

SCINTILLATING soprano Panayiota Kalatzis swept all before her last night to win the 2016 Herald Sun Aria.The 30-year-old Brisbane vocalist, trailing an elegant train, won the coveted prize in its 92nd year ahead of four other outstanding classical singers.“I never thought it would happen,’’ she said after accepting the prestigious award from Herald Sun editor Damon Johnston. “You work hard and enter competitions and then someone, ‘Yes’. Winning this changes everything.’’Kalatzis, of Greek background, captivated a 1500-strong audience at Hamer Hall with thrilling performances of Massenet and Verdi. A huge ovation greeted her win which carries $15,000 cash and a $22,500 scholarship for overseas tuition.“The plan is to go back to the UK, make some connections there, and then go to America,’’ she said. “Winning this makes all that possible.’’Jessica Harper, a 26-year-old soprano from Sydney, was runner up while the encouragement award went to Douglas Kelly, a Victorian-based tenor.Judges Richard Mills, Margaret Haggart and John Bolton-Wood praised the high standard of competition and Penny Fowler, Chairman of the Herald and Weekly Times, paid special tribute to Richard Divall — the Aria’s long serving maestro and chief adjudicator.

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Source: Herald Sun Aria winner Panayiota Kalatzis sweeps all before her | Herald Sun

Who will be Limelight's Artists of the Year? You decide

Below is the link to vote for Limelight’s Artist of the Year. We are thrilled to see that Tait Awardees;  Amy Dickson, saxophone & Jayson Gillham, piano, have been nominated.

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Amy Dickson

Amy was recently awarded the honour to be the Young Australian of the Year in the UK for 2016, the latest accolade in a quickly growing list of prizes. The UK Australia Day Awards, introduced by the non-profit Australia Day Foundation, recognise those Australians who excel in their fields in the United Kingdom.
Australia Day Foundation Director, Dick Porter said: “Amy is an outstanding young Australian and we are delighted to recognise her success with this award.”
The award was presented by the Australian High Commissioner, the Honourable Alexander Downer AC at Australia House, London.

Jayson is currently enjoying great success in Australia, to date he has played at QPAC in recital for Medici Concerts, Beethoven’s 4th piano concerto with the Sydney Symphony, a recital at Sydney’s Recital Hall and he is to play Beethoven’s 3rd piano concerto with the Adelaide Symphony, his tour ends with a recital in the Melbourne Recital Centre.

Jayson Gillham
Jayson Gillham

Who will be Limelight’s Artists of the Year?

Vote here for who you’d like to see honoured in our Australian and International Artists of the Year Awards.

Each year, Limelight’s experienced team of reviewers painstakingly selects a group of winning recordings in each of five categories for our annual Recording of the Year Awards. In addition, this year our critics have created a shortlist of 40 outstanding musicians and ensembles – 20 Australian and 20 International artists – for our annual Limelight Artists of the Year Awards.

Some are established artists and some are relative newcomers. Several of the international artists have thrilled Australian audiences in performance while others have released stunning recordings or have achieved accomplishments of note in their field. The nominees include performers, composers, ensembles and conductors, all of whom are in the running to win one of two inaugural Limelight Artist of the Year Awards.

Now it’s your chance to be involved. We’d like you, Limelight readers, to vote for the Australian and international artist that you would most like to see honoured. The public vote will then be combined with the votes of our critical panel, and the announcement of the lucky winners will be made in our special holiday issue of Limelight, out January 5, 2017. And please note, for the purposes of these awards, a non-Australian with a post at an Australian orchestra has been counted as an Australian artist rather than as an International.

Voting closes at midnight on Sunday November 6

Australian Artists

Australian Haydn Ensemble
Australian World Orchestra
Nicole Car
Brett Dean
Amy Dickson
Ross Edwards
Asher Fisch
Jayson Gillham
Richard Gill
Erin Helyard
Elena Kats-Chernin
Piers Lane
Latitude 37
Emma Matthews
Joseph Nolan
Dene Olding
Alondra de la Parra
Seraphim Trio
Stuart Skelton
Richard Tognetti

International Artists

Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Choir of Trinity College Cambridge
Joyce DiDonato
Christoph von Dohnányi
Mahan Esfahani
Franco Fagioli
Susan Graham
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Stephen Hough
Jerusalem Quartet
Lang Lang
Paul Lewis
Felicity Lott
Pumeza Matshikiza
Andris Nelsons
Jordi Savall
Takacs Quartet
Daniil Trifonov
Yuja Wang
John Wilson


Please note: By entering this poll you agree to receive Limelight’s Weekly Newsletter. If you already receive our Weekly Newsletter you still need to fill out the form; this will update your information with your vote. If you have any trouble accessing the voting button above, please click here.

by Limelight Magazine on October 14, 2016 (October 14, 2016) filed under Classical Music | Orchestral | Chamber | Instrumental | Vocal & Choral | Opera | Comment Now

Source: Who will be Limelight’s Artists of the Year? You decide

Elena Xanthoudakis to take on the Queen

The Australian soprano reflects on the challenges of singing Donizetti’s tragic Anna Bolena.

Elena Xanthoudakis as Anna Bolena for Melbourne Opera
Elena Xanthoudakis as Anna Bolena

While Anna Bolena is definitely on the larger end of the bel canto roles, it still requires great flexibility, as well as heft and drama where required. It is a great thrill to sing and while it is perhaps ‘heavier’ than some other bel canto roles – mostly due to the intense dramatic situation Anna finds herself in – one must remember to maintain a lilt and ease so that the voice remains flexible. There are also a number of lower notes: the bottom register is well applied by Donizetti to add drama and colour, and I absolutely love using a wide range of colours to characterise her journey. The challenges of the role lie in matching the tessitura and the weight or volume.

Sally Anne-Russell, Jane Seymour & Elena Xanthoudakis, Anna Bolena
Sally Anne-Russell, Jane Seymour & Elena Xanthoudakis, Anna Bolena

There are also a number of added cadenzas and high notes, so finding the balance between the elements is crucial. Anna is extremely fun to sing, as well as technically challenging – but again therein lies the fun too! Donizetti’s Anna Bolena departs from the historical details in a number of ways, done for dramatic licence. However, there is much that corresponds with the historical Anne Boleyn’s journey. In my opinion, her trial itself was a complete set-up, and the nature of it is made very clear in the opera.As for Anna’s mad scene, I would say it is less ‘mad’ than many! She begins the mad scene in a state of delusion, drifting in and out of awareness of her real situation. It begins in some respects like the Lucia di Lammermoor mad scene, in both concept – Anna is imagining a wedding – and orchestral colour. However, it soon shifts to much more dramatic colours and intense melodic shapes. It is perhaps less florid than roles like Elvira or Lucia, but is no less impressive. The role of Anna Bolena has been performed by a great number of sopranos, including Callas, Sutherland, and Netrebko. In an ideal world we would all love the dramatic intensity of La Callas, as well as the beauty of tone and flexibility of La Stupenda. Of the other major exponents of the role, I admire Beverly Sills for her recordings, which are extremely ornamented – perhaps too much? I would like to be at least as inventive where required. And though no recordings of Giuditta Pasta exist, one would hope to have a voice as strong and flexible as hers at the top, with the same depth and colour in the middle and bottom. Pasta, the original Anna, was a mezzo-like soprano, who was both the first Norma and Amina, the latter of which is substantially lighter and requires more limpid flexibility. Given the original Anna’s voice, and contemporary audience expectation for extemporised top notes, balance and care must be taken in order to maintain ease at both ends of the registers, to give the widest range of possible colour. Knowing the repertoire of Donizetti’s Tudor Queens, it would be a joy to one day have the opportunity to sing Queen Elizabeth in Roberto Devereux.

Elena’s performance of Mozart’s, Ch’io mi scordi di te? K 505, with Jayson Gillham and the Tait Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Kelly Lovelady, at the 2014 Tait Winter Prom at St John’s Smith Square.

Elena Xanthoudakis appears in the Australian premiere of Donizetti’s Anna Bolena for Melbourne Opera November 2, 5 and 9. Buy tickets here

Melbourne Opera stages the Australian premiere of Roberto Deveraux in 2017.

Win an A-Reserve double pass to opening night

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Following the sold out triumph of Maria Stuarda last year, Melbourne Opera continues the great Donizetti trilogy bringing the bel canto masterpiece Anna Bolena to The Athenaeum for the first time this November.

Starring Elena Xanthoudakis (Anne Boleyn), Sally-Anne Russell (Jane Seymour), Eddie Muliaumaseali’i (Henry VIII), Boyd Owen (Richard Percy), Dimity Shepherd (Mark Smeaton) and Phillip Calcagno (Lord Rochefort).

Source: Elena Xanthoudakis to take on the Queen from Limelight Magazine

Jessica Cottis to conduct, Borodin's 'Prince Igor' for Chelsea Opera Group

Australian conductor, Jessica Cottis is to conduct Chelsea Opera Groups concert performance of Borodin’s masterpiece, ‘Prince Igor’ at London’s, Cadogan Hall on the 22nd of October. Famous for its soaring melodies and dances the opera is sadly rarely performed. The cast includes Australian baritone, Joshua Bloom.

Saturday 22nd October 2016
at 6.30pm

Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin (1834-1887)

Concert performance sung in English.

Jessica is to conduct our Tait Winter Prom at St John’s Smith Square on Wednesday 30th November.

Jessica’s website

Opera in 4 acts* by Alexander Borodin (1833 – 1887)

Book here for Prince Igor

Libretto adapted by the composer from the Ancient Russian epic The Lay of Igor’s Host., which recounts the campaign of Rus prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Cuman (“Polovtsian”) tribes in 1185. He also incorporated material drawn from two medieval Kievan chronicles. The opera was left unfinished upon the composer’s death in 1887 and was edited and completed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov.

First performed in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1890.

* Act 3 will be omitted in this performance.

Russian opera’s most melodious epic was many years in the making. Like his colleagues in the Nationalist circle of composers known as the ‘mighty little handful’ (‘moguchaya kuchka’), Alexander Borodin had extra-musical fish to fry. His ‘other’ career, in fact, was the most distinguished of all; as Professor of Chemistry, he was responsible for a discovery still known to science as ‘the Borodin reaction’.

The reaction he won in music was to his strong sensual vein and his knack of pouring forth good tunes (as the kitsch oriental musical Kismet acknowledged in the 20th century). Like most Russians, he was fascinated by the lure of the east, and the scenes in which Prince Igor of ancient Russia is detained in the camp of the hospitable enemy, Khan Konchak of the Polovtsian tribe, are among the most dazzling and brilliantly orchestrated in music: as well as the famous dances the genius quotient in the arias and duet is extremely high, even if his colleagues Rimsky-Korsakov and the younger Alexander Glazunov had a hand in completing many of the numbers during his lifetime and piecing together the whole opera following his death.

The lyric soprano role belongs to Yaroslavna, the wife he leaves behind in his home town of Putivl – a foil to the siren song of the mezzo playing Konchak’s daughter, with whom Igor’s son Vladimir falls in love. So there are laments, celebrations, vigorous dance sequences and splendid choruses: the very essence of Russian opera.

© 2016 David Nice

Tickets for the concert can be obtained from Cadogan Hall.

The Australian Charity Art Auction

A number of charities in the UK make an enormous contribution to the support of young Australians studying in the UK, to the promotion of educational and cultural exchanges between the UK and Australia, and to furthering the work of iconic Australian charities.  The Australian Charity Art Auction will offer artworks by Australian artists or which feature Australian subjects and themes.  The artworks  will all have been donated from private collections, principally in the UK.

The artworks will initially be offered for on-line silent auction bidding throughout a two week period leading up to the final reception event, which is to be held at the Australian High Commission in London on Tuesday 28 February 2017. They will be on display for two days leading up to the event, and a small number, selected by the Advisory Committee, will be offered at the event by live auction, to be conducted by a Christie’s auctioneer.

The ACAA acknowledges and thanks the following for their valuable support:

The Australian High Commission  .  Christie’s  .  The Offices of the Agents-General for Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia  .  Australian Business  .  The Britain-Australia Society  .  The Cook Society  .  The Australia Day Foundation  .  All those who have generously donated artworks for sale

Source: The Australian Charity Art Auction

Sally Law, violin – Tait Scholar 2016

We are delighted to announce that, Sally Law, a young violinist from Queensland, has been selected as the 2016 Tait Scholar at the Royal College of Music. The Tait Scholar Award is funded by the family of Julian Baring, and is one of our flagship scholarships for young Australians.

sally_law_tait_scholar_2016

The adopt a performer scheme allows a donor to directly support a young Australian performer for a three year commitment. Please click here to learn how to actively involve yourself in the career development of a young performer.

Sally is playing in the Tait Chamber Orchestra in our Tait Winter Prom on the 30th November at St John’s Smith Square, conducted by Jessica Cottis. More information here

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Sally Law, Tait Scholar

SALLY LAW

Violinist Sally Law is currently a Tait Trust Scholar supported by a Big Give Award at the Royal College of Music, studying violin with Jan Repko. She began playing violin at the age of eight in Brisbane, Australia. In 2015, Sally held a solo performance for HRH Princess Alexandra at Queen Alexandra House.  Over this past summer, Sally played in the Macao Orchestra for their 2016-2017 opening concert; the Roman River Music Festival with her clarinet trio; as well as the 24-hour music marathon at St John’s Smith Square, London. Sally also recently performed in masterclasses with Alexander Markov and Professor Alexander Bonduryansky.

Sally has won prizes in numerous competitions, including First Prize in the Queensland Young Instrumentalist Competition in 2012, resulting in her debut as soloist with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. She also received First Prize in the Strings Open Somerville House Solo Instrumental and Vocal Competition in 2011, and the Australia National Youth Concerto Competition Recitalist Award consecutively 2010-2012, amongst others.

Following her debut as soloist with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Sally has performed solo recitals in the UK and Australia, including St Mary Abbots Church and the Claremont Centre in London, and the Brisbane Museum Concert Hall and Somerville House Valmai Pidgeon Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane. In 2013 Sally performed in a showcase performance, raising funds for the Queensland Flood Relief at the Brisbane Albert St Uniting Church.

Sally works regularly as a chamber musician, and has formed the Mellanie Trio with musicians at the Royal College of Music. The trio have received coaching from Alina Ibragimova and Trio Apaches. Recent engagements include a performance at the Austrian Cultural Forum. Mellanie Trio have also performed recitals at St Botolph Without Aldgate Church, the RCM Parry Rooms, RCM Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, Austrian Cultural Forum, St James’ Church Piccadilly, and St Paul’s Church Covent Garden. She was also part of a string trio of Australian musicians who performed at numerous events including representing Australia in the Delegates Lounge of the International Maritime Organisation.

Sally performs as an orchestral musician, leading orchestras such as the RCM Chamber Orchestra, and orchestras of the Brisbane Grammar Senior String Festival 2008-2012, and Somerville House Choral Festival 2008 – 2012. She was also first violinist with the Queensland Youth Symphony in 2009 and the Australian Youth Orchestra in 2011, and has performed in venues including St Paul’s Cathedral, St James’s Church Piccadilly, Sydney Opera House and Sydney Town Hall.

Aside from performing, Sally is passionate about creating cross-art productions and artistic workshops. In 2015, she directed her first exhibition at the Royal College of Music in collaboration with a dancer, animation artist and other musicians, as part of the Great Exhibitionists Series, Butterfly Lovers – Unite Through Dimensions.  Albeit not professional, Sally is also an avid videographer and enjoys uploading films onto her YouTube channel ‘Musicado FM’.

Sally Law’s website

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Lachlan Monaghan, ballet – Success in Birmingham Royal Ballet, The Tempest.

Tait Awardee, Lachlan Monaghan, performed the role of Neptune in The Tempest, a part that was created for him in the new Birmingham Royal Ballet production which is currently on tour in London (October 14/15), Sunderland (October 20/21/22), Plymouth (October 27/28/29).

Choreography – David Bintley Music – Sally Beamish
Design – Rae Smith

A personal note to Lachlan from our Chairman, Isla Baring OAM.

What a performance! You are a star, so proud of you!! I enjoyed the ballet so much, but even more when you appeared! I wish I could capture this on video. I met your mother as she was sitting behind us. 

Lady Anya Sainsbury is one of the greatest supporters of ballet, and I am overjoyed that we have this picture together. Bravo, I liked the music and the charming story.

Hope to see you soon maybe for a Gala performance for the Tait Trust!!! 

Exciting things are happening with our ballet awards. 

Congratulations, sensational. 

Love Isla x

More about the production

David Bintley’s new ballet conjures Prospero’s magical isle from Shakespeare’s late masterpiece into a spellbinding new work of ballet theatre.

At once enchanting and elemental The Tempest is a powerful story of a man determined to right past wrongs by all means in his power. This creative collaboration with acclaimed composer Sally Beamish, and designer Rae Smith (The Prince of the Pagodas, War Horse) intertwines themes of love, loyalty, and loss, punctuated by a comic duo, more than one dastardly conspiracy and a spectacular danced masque featuring gods and spirits.
Read more here